Digital Governance (DG) is an expansive field that encompasses various disciplinary fields and fields of study. DG research examines many questions, such as:
This study used WoS database articles that contained “digital governance” or “E-governance” from 2000-2023. An overlay visualization shows its spread among nations and research institutions; with the US taking the lead followed by England, China, Greece.
Digital tools and platforms are empowering people.
Digital governance involves assigning responsibility for overseeing digital tools and platforms. While still relatively new, this area holds great promise.
Future projections show a rise in automated governance solutions which offer increased predictability in transactions, enhanced inclusivity through automation, and high reliability when operating under transparent rules. Unfortunately, such systems can lead to surveillance, feelings of voicelessness in relation to quasi-monopolistic digital incumbents, and dependencies on specific services with high switching costs (Santana & Albareda 2022).
Implemented properly by leadership, a robust governance structure enhances public trust through improved organizational performance and customer outcomes. It ensures the appropriate people are managing activities such as content production, design, technical infrastructure security funding and product project program management as well as product, project program management at federal agencies as well as overseeing public perception on their websites and digital services.
Digital tools and platforms are empowering governments.
Digital tools can assist governments in expediting internal processes more quickly and efficiently, leading to cost savings as well as increased transparency and accountability. They can also use data produced by these tools to better understand their constituents and respond accordingly.
Digital platforms facilitate dialogue and collaboration between citizens and government officials, providing more diverse viewpoints to be heard and leading to improved policy making and more responsive governance systems that reflect the collective aspirations of their constituents.
Digitized platforms can also enhance access to government services, including utilities management (water, electricity and gas), by using data and smart grids to optimize infrastructure and increase transparency and trust while encouraging citizen participation and engagement.
Digital tools and platforms are empowering institutions.
The global digital governance model includes norms, institutions and standards which define regulation surrounding internet technologies’ development and usage. This has long-term commercial and political ramifications – including competition among democratic and illiberal actors to implement their vision for shaping its economy.
Institutions can embrace digital governance principles to streamline bureaucratic processes, reduce staff and internal costs, and offer citizens accessible online services. Institutions should prioritize citizen participation by prioritizing participation in policy making as well as provide avenues for feedback and engagement – initiatives like e-petitions and participatory budgeting are effective ways of engaging citizens while platforms that prioritize citizen data privacy can increase transparency.
At its core, digital governance can strengthen your mission-driven organization’s security measures while keeping it agile and flexible in response to ongoing disruption. An effective digital strategy can help your startup or nonprofit flourish and thrive – provided your team understands the basics first.
Digital tools and platforms are threatening democracies.
Authoritarian regimes are increasingly turning to digital tools and techniques in order to control their citizens and confront perceived state or non-state adversaries. Furthermore, they export these techniques and tools as both an instrument for strengthening ties with like-minded regimes as well as commercial gain.
Digital authoritarians use digital platforms to gain broad reach through new communications channels and make bold and sensational claims that are more likely to draw national attention (Newlands et al, 2021). Furthermore, their dominance on digital media allows them to exploit people’s lack of digital literacy by spreading disinformation and undermining public trust in institutions and governments.
Leaders must consider how best to address these challenges in a way that meets both people’s and institutions’ needs, while remaining equitable. One approach would be identifying primary public values for digital governance such as inclusiveness and meaningful conversations about important topics online platforms are empowering users with responsibly using them. By developing such values leaders will better understand how digital governance mechanisms can be designed and implemented in ways that foster democracy.